Falling Endlessly
by Zerolr
Summary: In a world of blurried snow, of neverending ice Rukia discovers something completely unexpecting. Hitsu/Ruki. Alternate universe. COMPLETE. I am planning in turning this one-shot into a full-fleged chapter story. If you like this one-shot please follow. If you have any ideas or request about the continuation of this story please leave a review. Anons are welcome. Thankies!


This is my first Hitsu/Ruki fanfic; wrote this on a whim a while back, lately these days it's been verrrrrrry hectic. And with my internet access limited it makes it even harder to upload or type up my fanfics. I've been wanting to write a different series of bleach fanfics with couples that are usually uncommon but appear interesting for me to write about. Most of them are going to be alternate universe meaning that the plot of the fanfic has nothing to do with the actual plot of Bleach.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I don't claim that I do, all the credit goes to Tite Kubo.

Pairing: Hitsugaya - Rukia

Rating: T (nothing big, really)

Setting/Plot: Alternate universe

* * *

Falling Endlessly

* * *

_I don't believe that this is actually happening to me…_

The trip to Antarctica was something I've always wished to make. We packed our bags—Ichigo, Orihime and me. Ichigo and Orihime are in the spring of their giddy-giddy love. It is a long and complicated story. My heart longed for him and it was my fault because I pushed him away, shoved him and he stumbled into Orihime's arms. I believe that he still loves me from the way we stare. But when she appears that yearning in his eyes just disappears.

We took a cruise ship and traveled for months and now we settled in Urahara Kisuke's facility. He is a marine biologist who dedicated his life to preserving wildlife. As self-less as that sounds he has the heart and soul of a sleazy crooked salesman. He and his assistant Tessai spent the long cold days taking pictures and observing wildlife there.

Urahara welcomed us with a bright smile on his face and with much love and earnest. From the way he energetically retrieved food and bed for us signaled to me his profound loneliness. It was one night when Ichigo and Orihime when ahead to bed to go to "sleep" when Kisuke and I, sat at the kitchen table having a hot cup of coffee—yes coffee.

"I want to go back to Japan," he whispered silently as if it was forbidden to say such words.

"What's keeping you here?" I asked looking up from my mug, "You've been here for almost seven years, you can go and then come back, right?"

"No, not now—I'll lose everything even if I leave for a moment," he eyes glinted in a way that caused me to feel a bit nervous. It was that sleazy merchant look.

"Why?"

"A dragon."

"Huh?!" I blinked in disbelief.

"After years of constant observation my vision has become quite sharp to detail… during the six months of sun I've seen what looked like a large dragon flying in the horizon towards those mountains in the south."

"Are you sure?" I really wasn't going to believe that fanatical tale of frozen dragons and such. I started to believe that the scientist was in dire need to be among civilization.

Kisuke nodded, "Tessai and I had marked it off and filmed a few things but the footage is not all that great.

"Is there anything I could do to help?"

Why the hell did I ask? His eyes shone once more and a sinister smirk curled up at the

edge of his lips. I had to admit it was kinda sexy. But I would rather die then say that to his face.

The next day Tessai aroused and literally dragged Ichigo down the steps with Orihime whimpering close behind.

"Please don't hurt him," she cried.

"A few bumps on the head will do him good, Inoue—don't worry about it," I replied sarcastically.

Orihime just giggled.

I sat on the kitchen chair already dressed and ready for the expedition. I wore plenty of layers, scarf and gloves.

"Rukia? What's going on?" Ichigo asked me after he shook Tessai's hold on him.

"Over here, I'll explain everything," Kisuke signaled everyone toward a room that contained his materials and books.

* * *

Urahara drove his jeep about 25 miles inland, the mountains that he pointed to me last night laid exposed in all of it's glory in front of our faces.

"Alrighty then!" sang Kisuke in a sing song voice. I barely heard it about the roaring sound of the cold arctic wind. He passed to each of us a communicator and a camera to Orihime, "Wish you luck! Remember radio for help, me and Tessai will serve as back up…"

* * *

Six hours had passed traveling up the mountain and there was no sign of a stupid dragon. Orihime still hoped and believed with all her heart in Urahara's words. Ichigo grumbled, hoping to find some kind of antarctical lizard he can call "dragon," so he can run back. I was agreeing to his theory—heck even just turning around and heading back empty handed. Then, a storm struck.

"We have to find shelter!" screamed Ichigo at the top of his lungs. The howling wind made it difficult for me to hear him. I nodded and I trudged ahead looking for anything that can resemble a cave. As we climbed high walking that thin path, I could hear Ichigo's voice calling once more. I couldn't understand what he was saying. It was getting harder and harder to see. I took another step and I heard a loud crack.

"Whoa—ah—AHH!!!"

"RUKIA!!"

My feet gave in, I stepped on a loose ledge and my body gave in and I started falling. My heart dropped in fear. I'm falling, I really falling. I could see, through the blur of snow and ice, bright orange.

"RUKIAAAA!!!! RUKIAAA!!!!!"

The whirling of the snow, I can see it fall from above as I fell. It's a strange sensation, this feeling of falling. Falling endlessly forever.

The clouds from above parted suddenly and I saw a great crystal dragon, his eyes burned a fiery color, zooming down it descended in a swirl getting closer and closer. I saw it face to face and I could not believe it, no…

_I don't believe that this is actually happening to me…_

The great dragon swooped and caught me in turned suddenly and soared high; it flew deep within the mountain range rising higher and higher. I felt the chilly breeze nipping at my nose. I've lost my scarf in the fall. My head felt so dizzy and still intensely shocked from it all. I looked down and the sight was breath-taking. The snow that covered the mountains was like a large veil wrapping absolutely everything. The atmosphere was pure and clean. However, I was still feeling quite dizzy. Perhaps because I was so high up, yes, that's what it was. The sudden change in air pressure was getting me sick. I fainted soon after, everything went black. I know for sure that there was a smile on my face.

* * *

"Hey get up! Wake up!" called a voice. It was soft yet husky. I slowly opened my eye, and caught the scent of some kind of meat. Opening the other one and rubbing them both with my hands I finally caught a good view of my surroundings.

I was inside an ice cavern, the most beautiful that I have ever seen.

"Wow!" I exclaimed suddenly.

"This is nothing, so shut up!" I dropped my gaze to direct my attention to the rude speaker. My eyes landed on a young man. He had hair whiter than the new fallen snow with eyes the color of brilliant turquoise. I leaned more forward, it was a pale green shade, but it defiantly had some blue in them—turquoise, the color of blue-green. His skin painted a soft cream, a face that formed an agitated scowl. It reminded me of Ichigo whenever he entered one of those bad days. I smirked, guys with bad attitudes life has a funny way of always, lunging them at me. I thought about my childhood friend Renji back at home. I had a crush on him once, I always did fall for those type of men—oh no!

"What now?" he asked.

"Where am I?" I asked. It was now that I realized my predicament.

"My home."

I turned to face him. He rotated a seal on a steak that he had skinned. Not too far, he also had a pot made out of glass filled with other things. I guess he was making soup. I sat back down. Wrapping my arms around myself, I shivered several times involuntarily.

"What's wrong with you," he asked.

"I'm cold—freezing actually," I commented.

"I don't know how you're not dying in those clothes,"

"Huh?" the youth wore a white simple long sleeve shirt that had a deep v-cut and dark green cloth pants. He was bare footed and looked completely comfortable and relaxed.

My mind drifted thinking about everything that had happened prior, "What…what happened to the dragon that saved me?"

"That was me."

I stared at him completely stunned, "Are you…human?" I asked. I now believed all the fairy tales that Kisuke told me about the great dragon Hyorinmaru. The native people in the area hailed him as God who controlled the weather and the power to dictate their lives.

"Hyorinmaru…" I breathed.

"Yeah," he replied with a drag in his voice, "What's what they call me, but that's not my name." He looked up from his cooking, "It's Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya Toushiro."

"Hitsugaya," I repeated.

He looked back at his cooking.

Some silence passed between us as he served the meal he prepared. It was a strange broth that contained vegetables I've never seen before. I helped him cut up the seal meat and I placed the amount I wanted in my soup. It was surprisingly good. At times during our eating, Hitsugaya would look up and stare at me and then look down back at his bowl. Whenever our eyes met his face would curl up in rage and I quickly turn my head away.

Maybe he's shy, or not used to talking to people. After all, he is a dragon turned man. I slurped up the rest of the broth and placed the bowl down.

"Thank you for the meal," I said with a smile.

"Whatever," he scoffed while serving himself another bowl. For such a small person, he really liked to eat; well it's kind of funny to think that a huge larger than life dragon takes the form of a short grouchy guy. I chuckled a little and I felt him glare at me. I didn't care that at this point because I knew that everything I did in front of him got him mad.

He was still eating at his seventh bowl, when he put down his spoon and stared at me.

"Why is your nose so red?"

"It's very cold," I replied.

"Humph," he stared into his soup, "Humans need that much warmth?"

"Well yes…" I answered nervously, "I need to go back home."

His expression changed slightly. Opening his eyes a little wider he asked, "Why?"

"Because it's warm there and it's where I belong."

He looked down at his near finished bowl with a look of sadness. But that expression quickly faded.

"No, you can't."

"Huh?" I gawked at him in disbelief, "I'm leaving, I declared," I know that there was no way that I was able to make it back. Simply I hoped that with this resistance he would realize that I was not some pet he can keep and play with. I stood and started to march off.

He quickly rose and chased me. Grabbing my wrist he pulled me to face him.

"You can't" he repeated, "You belong to me."

"W-wha?" I stuttered backing away from him. His face and body was awfully close to mine. The grip on my wrist tighten and I began to get annoyed, "If you keep me here," I protested, "I'm going to die."

His eyes shot open and the color in them wavered.

"Unlike you, I cannot survive in this cold."

His eyes dropped slowly almost closing, "Very well," he replied. There was a heavy tone of remorse in his voice. To have met me just this once and to cling on to me so…

"How long have you lived, alone in this place?" I asked feeling upset in spite of myself.

He looked up to me and all reasoning left me. We stood there in silence exchanging glances. Staring. His eyes they told me everything. Years and years of being hunt, admired, obsessively adored. Alone, hungry starving for companionship. My hand trembled as it reached to touch his cheek. His face was very much defined with a small nose and lips that curved and filled very much like a child. His moved close and I, found myself pressing my forehead against his. My heart began to beat faster. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. Truly, truly now I was falling in love with him. Falling, falling endlessly very much like the falling of a great height. When the heart drops and the stomach rises. When the mind races and thoughts aren't possible.

My hands drop as we kiss. Racing, the cold fingers through my hair I felt them slip down the back of my back and I felt tears. I tasted tears.

_Stay with me…_

_Stay with me…_

**END**


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